Protecting the Coast Starts at Your Front Door

county of san diego watershed protection program

WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS


Beach cleanup

Protecting the Coast Starts at Your Front Door

Our coast is a great natural resource and makes our region a wonderful place to live and work. Let’s maintain the beauty of both our coastal and inland waterways and be a part of the 36th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day on September 26th – but with a twist! For this year’s global effort, you can help protect our coast right from your front door -- by removing litter and debris close to home in your community throughout the day.

Why is this day (and every day) so important when it comes to protecting our waterways?

Surprisingly, 80% of debris found during beach cleanups comes from land-based sources such as trash, packaging, and improperly disposed waste. At beach cleanups, top items found include cigarette butts, styrofoam fragments, and common plastics such as food wrappers, bags, bottle caps, and straws. These pollutants can enter our waterways in three main ways: rain carrying trash to our storm drains, wind blowing trash into waterways, or dumping trash directly into the water. Check out the 2019 San Diego County Beach Cleanup Report to learn more about trash in our local waterways.


Prevention is the best medicine!

Trash pollution is preventable through simple actions you can take:

  • Reduce and reuse products whenever possible and Recycle Right.
  • Throw cigarette butts in designated ash trays or receptacles.
  • Secure lids on trash/recycling bins to prevent debris from blowing, replace leaking and deteriorating cans, and place containers out only on collection day.
  • Protect your storm drains to prevent trash and other pollutants from entering them. Watch this video to learn more.
  • Participate in local cleanup events.  I Love a Clean San Diego and Surfrider Foundation hold regular cleanup events. Check their event calendars regularly to find one near you.

Participate in Coastal Cleanup Day 2020!

Whether you live in a coastal or inland community, all pollution prevention efforts make a huge impact on the health of our waterways and ocean. Help protect our water resources by participating in 2020 Coastal Cleanup Day on September 26th. Registration is now open at CleanupDay.org.

ILACSD Coastal Cleanup Day

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Find My District

ONLINE SERVICES

Report Stormwater Pollution
Report observed pollution to the correct jurisdiction.

Citizen Access Portal
Research property information and permits. Apply for some permits online.

GIS Maps
Find property information including zoning designation with our web-based mapping tool. 


Watershed Protection Website
sandiegocounty.gov/stormwater

 

project clean water


Project Clean Water efforts are focused on providing a centralized point of access to water quality information and resources for San Diego County Watersheds. Click HERE to visit Project Clean Water’s website. 

To learn more about the County of San Diego - Watershed Protection Program, please visit sandiegocounty.gov/stormwater